The aim of the workshop is to discuss a set of frontier topics in the field of non-equilibrium quantum many-body systems, particularly many-body localization and the dynamics of driven systems, and to take stock of advances in computational and holographic methods for treating real time dynamics.

The “LaB” workshop series aims at bringing together, in a trans-disciplinary forum, scientists interested in the emerging areas of coupling laboratory high-energy-density (HED) plasmas and external and internal intense magnetic fields in varied domains, including plasma astrophysics, inertial fusion, and particle acceleration. Magnetic fields have been widely recognized to have profound effects in these areas, but specific progress is hindered by limited theoretical understanding and diagnostics capabilities. The main aim of such a forum is to serve as an exchange of ideas, discussion of theoretical and experimental work that has been done, and to explore potential new collaborations in these critical areas.

This workshop is sponsored and organized by PPPL, with support from PCTS.

The past 15 years have seen unprecedented progress in the understanding of general nonequilibrium systems. Exact relationships valid arbitrarily far from equilibrium have been discovered, admitting the extension of concepts from thermodynamics beyond the linear response regime. These results generically refer to distribution functions of thermodynamic quantities like heat, work and entropy and are increasingly important for nanoscale systems and devices. Recently, it has become clear that the theoretical infrastructure that this progress has been largely built upon is “large deviation theory,” or the branch of probability concerned with exponentially rare fluctuations.
This workshop will bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to exchange
new ideas on the understanding and application of large deviation theory in statistical physics.

The Dynamo Effect may be broadly defined to mean amplification or sustainment of magnetic fields (within some specified range of spatial scales) that survive against otherwise exponential decay due to dissipation. For astrophysics, dynamo research is aimed toward answering the question: “Why are so many constituents of the Universe magnetized?” The question has eluded a definitive theoretical answer so far, although observations of planets, stars, and galaxies provides compelling evidence for the generation of large-scale magnetic fields arising from self-organized turbulence. During the last decade, there have been significant advances in the theory and simulation of dynamos, both for astrophysical objects (including the Sun and Earth) and laboratory plasmas, and it is time to gather experts from these different communities to share their perspectives, and crystallize the precise issues that need to be tackled in order to make further progress on this important problem in classical physics.

Semimetals with Dirac or the Weyl fermions show that quantum mechanical phenomena which are manifest at the highest energies in particle physics can also be observed at the very lowest energies in condensed matter physics. The refined understanding of topological band theory has led to the recent discoveries of topological semimetals and helped to uncover a range of exotic phenomena associated with these materials. This workshop will focus on the recent developments in this growing field, including phenomena associated with the topological surface states, the chiral anomaly and nonlocal transport signatures in 3D Weyl and Dirac fermion systems, interaction effects in 3D semimetals, and novel superconducting states in topological (semi)metals.

This workshop is supported in part by PCCM, MRSEC, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

This workshop will discuss the future of research in general relativity
following the 100th anniversary of Einstein's publication of the theory, with a focus on topics where computational methods will be key to making progress on interesting open questions. The workshop will focus on 3 broad areas: gravitational wave astrophysics, theoretical general relativity, and novel computational methods.

Coevolution, the process of reciprocal adaptation and counter-adaptation between interacting species is considered a key force in maintaining biological diversity. Rapidly evolving viruses, such as flu and HIV, drive the adaptive immune system of vertebrates to constantly change its configuration, and mount a specific response against pathogens. It is now possible to sequence the entire antibody repertoire of an individual together with the infecting viruses, and to monitor their co-evolution over time. Also, the recently discovered CRISPR-Cas mechanism in bacteria and archaea is another form of adaptive immunity, and provides an ideal setting for studying a molecular arms race between microbes in the lab. In contrast to the human adaptive immune system, CRISPR-mediated immunity is heritable, thereby keeping the memory of past infections beyond the lifetime of a cell. Although mechanistically distinct, coevolution of adaptive immunity in vertebrates and in prokaryotes may share common out-of-equilibrium dynamical features. One of the main challenges is to design informative experiments that together with theoretical modeling and inference could elucidate the unifying features of these coevolutionary systems. This workshop aims to bring together theoreticians and experimentalists to foster collaborations towards building predictive models for coevolutionary immune systems.

Cosmology is ready for some new ideas. There are the standard paradigms - inflationary theory, WIMP dark matter, and the cosmological constant - that suggest we have an answer to the big questions about the origin, evolution, composition, and future of the universe, though, none of the standard paradigms is complete or without problems. This program is designed to promote collaboration among theorists who share the same interest of finding truly novel approaches to the big open questions of cosmology.
The program has two key elements: (i) regular monthly meetings of a small core group each focused on different aspects of theoretical cosmology. The style of the meetings will be small and informal with ample time for discussion; (ii) a final workshop on major open issues in cosmology.